


Until I Found You, Baby, I Didn't Know What I Was Missing

by thatonedudewiththename



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, One-Shot, Slow Build, age gap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 11:35:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5827141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatonedudewiththename/pseuds/thatonedudewiththename
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe Vinny was crazy, but when it came to love, everyone's a fool.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until I Found You, Baby, I Didn't Know What I Was Missing

**Author's Note:**

> three straight days of writing

Vinny wasn't sure why he was at this metal concert; oh right, his friend Joel was mutual friends with one of the band members, and being that he was also a metal head, it was two for the price of one. Vinny wasn't huge into metal, but he did particularly enjoy bad music, so he figured he could tag along, if anything just to get out of the dorms; he and Joel shared one, though Joel was an underclassmen.

Anyway, Joel and Vinny got front row seats at the venue, with Joel waving to his friend, the electric guitarist. "Good luck!!" He yelled.

The guitarist smiled and nodded, mouthing a 'thank you'. Vinny surveyed the young band members—the two guitarists (one of them the singer), the bassist, and then, behind them all, the drummer, this tiny, but obviously fit pale guy with gauged ears and greying brown hair that was badly dyed pink on the top. Vinny lowered his gaze to the ground and turned up his mouth, thinking, 'Get a hold of yourself, Vinny, he's probably like sixteen.' Another thought he had, immediately after, while watching the guy drum wildly, was: 'That's the age of consent, right?' 

He mentally slapped himself for thinking such predatory thoughts and resolved to just run his brain on autopilot for the remainder of the night. 

 

After the 45 minutes of bad screamo but pretty awesome instrumentals, the band—"Raised to the Ground"—went backstage, Vinny following reluctantly after Joel, who seemed very excited to get to meet them even though he knew most of the members personally. The idea of seeing that drummer guy up close was giving Vinny the willies, and not the good kind, the bad, how-am-I-going-to-casually-ask-this-guy-his-age-without-seeming-creepy kind. Well, he didn't get to dwell on it long, as he soon came face-to-face with the drummer himself, the shorter male smiling shyly and running a hand through his hair. "Nice t' meet'cha." He held out his hand to shake. "'m Jack, 'r Sean, eit'er one."

Vinny took the hand and shook it, trying as hard as he could not to concentrate on the feeling of Jack's palms against his. "Nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Vinny." He replied.

"If... ye don't mind me askin', Vinny, how old are ye?" Jack asked, holding his upper arm.

'Well, that was easy.' "Why do you want to know?"

"It's j'st t'at ye seem so mature compared t' everyone else here."

"Hmm. Sounds reasonable enough." Vinny paused a moment. "I'm 23,"

Jack lowered his head and rubbed his arm. "Oh."

"What about you? How old are you?"

"...17."

Vinny nodded, a sigh of relief washing over him with the knowledge that Jack wasn't a child. "You're a pretty good drummer, Sean. I liked your parts."

Jack chuckled lightly, crossing his arms and kicking at the ground as he replied, "Only my parts?"

Vinny shrugged. "It's what I was paying attention to the most."

Sean chuckled nervously, avoiding eye contact and squeezing his crossed arms tighter together— Vinny thought it was the cutest thing. As he opened his mouth to say something, Joel came over with a smile and said, "Hey! We're all gonna go out for drinks at O'Reilly's, c'mon." 

"I sh'd actually be headin' home," Sean told him, "My parents're comin' home soon 'n the bus takes a while t' get t' my place."

"I'll take you." Vinny said, then to Joel told him, "I'll pick you up after."

Joel nodded. "Alright, I'll let the others know."

Jack looked up at Vinny and twisted up his mouth, uncrossing his arms to instead shove his hands into his pockets. "Got'e car?"

"Yeah, it's in the lot. Know how to get home from here?" Vinny asked.

A nod, Vinny giving a small smile. "Well, alright."

Vinny motioned for Jack to follow him and then they walked out of the back exit, going around the side of the building to the part of the parking lot that extended out to the right side of the building and to Vinny's cheap-looking car. Vinny pried the passenger side door open for Jack—it was always getting stuck—Sean himself getting in and buckling his seatbelt. Vinny got into the driver side and strapped in, starting his car and pulling out towards the dark, empty street. The radio was playing music at a low volume, so it wasn't too quiet in the car, but Vinny still felt like he should be trying to attempt a conversation. Clearing his throat inaudibly, Vinny said, "Tell me where to go, ok?"

"Yeah." Jack agreed, his voice cracking. 

Vinny saw him cringe and chuckled. "Are you ok?"

Sean scratched at the barely-there stubble on his face and glanced briefly in Vinny's direction. "Mhm, I'm j'st..." He crossed his arms. "Kinda nervous."

"Being in a car with a stranger?"

"Kinda,"

Vinny nodded and smiled as pleasantly as he could. "I understand. I won't try anything, I promise."

"I trust ye."

The two of them looked at each other in the low lights of the street lamps that were on each side of the road they were stopped on as they'd reached a stop sign. Vinny loved the way Jack's eyes seemed to glow in the dark, brighter than anything else in the car; he continued to stare at him, even after Sean had turned away to instead look out the window. A car honking behind him made Vinny return his attention to the road. "Uhm, which way?" He asked.

"S...straight." 

Vinny pressed on the gas and drove straight.

 

It took about 26 minutes, but they made it to Jack's house in the woods, far from any civilization, off a dirt path that was icy. They were parked out front of the house, Vinny with his eyes on Sean, who was rubbing his palms on his thighs. "Here we are," He said quietly.

"D'ya wanna hang out some time?" Jack asked in a loud, slightly shaking tone, his face skewed with worry.

Vinny laughed in a light way, patting his steering wheel. Jack watched intently, hope evident in his eyes, which only made the fluttering in Vinny's diaphragm worsen. He took out his phone, held it out to him and said, "Give me your number and we'll see."

Jack grinned and took it, inputting his number into the keypad and then giving it back to Vinny, who saved it and smiled a little. "Thanks." 

"You'll keep in touch, won'tya?" 

"Of course. I look forward to seeing you again, Jack."

Jack grinned brightly as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. "See ya!!" He said.

Vinny waved goodbye, and then Jack was gone.

+

It was a couple days until Vinny could text Jack, as classes had just started up again and a lot of work was dumped on him at once. As he finished up his homework for his English class, he took a break and texted Jack, _"Hey man it's Vinny from your concert :^]"_

Not a second later, he received a reply. _"hey!!! I was wondering when you were gonna contact me!"_ Jack's text read.

Vinny didn't respond for a bit so he could finish the last two sentences of his essay and meet the word count, then saved it and shut off his laptop. He responded to Jack, _"yeah my classes started back up again"_

_"classes? are you in school?"_

_"Im a senior in college."_

_"oh"_ Then, after a second, _"im in my third year of secondary school. i cant wait for it to be over"_

_"You're not too far away from graduating, at least."_

_"thats true"_

The dorm door opened and revealed Joel carrying two large bags of groceries, making noises of distress; Vinny put his phone away and took one of the bags from him, setting it on their small kitchen counter, Joel doing the same. "Ugh, thanks for helpin' me." Joel grumbled, stretching his back and arms.

"No problem. What'd you get?" Vinny asked.

"The usual, plus that healthy shit you like."

"Cool."

When Vinny took his phone back out to reply to Jack, Joel glanced at the screen as he was putting the food away and asked, "Who're ya talkin' to?"

Vinny tilted his screen up so that it was more towards him. "That drummer from the concert a couple days ago."

Joel spluttered on the cigarette in his mouth and started to cough. Once he'd regained his composure, he asked with wide eyes and a serious expression, "Y' mean that runt??"

Vinny rolled his eyes and looked at him. "His name is Jack, and yes."

"Isn't he like 13?"

_"17."_

"Oh," Joel glanced at the mini fridge, then back at Vinny. "Are you gonna bang him?"

Vinny looked up with wide eyes and furrowed brows. "What kind of question is that?!"

Joel held up his hands. "Hey man, I'm just asking. Gotta make sure I know the facts."

"No," Vinny grumbled, "I'm not gonna bang him. He's... not like that."

"Whaddaya mean?" Joel narrowed his eyes.

Vinny bared his teeth a little. "Can you stop interrogating me?" 

"Yeah yeah, sorry. Go talk with your boyfriend."

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND."

Joel scoffed. "Whatever."

 

A few hours later, Vinny received a text from Jack asking if he wanted to hang out, so he put on his usual two coats and shoes, slipping out of the dorm and off campus in his car in the direction of the park that Jack had wanted to meet at. It was a halfway point between the university and Jack's home, about an hour walk each, but Jack took the bus and Vinny his car, so roughly 20 minutes later, they both met at the entrance. Vinny spotted Jack as he was getting off the bus and waved to him from where he sat on a concrete barrier, prompting Jack to wave in return and come jogging over, his breath leaving a trail of white cloudiness as he went. "Hey," Vinny greeted as he stood up.

"Hi," Jack replied with a smile, "good t'e see ye again!"

Vinny nodded, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "So, where we headed?" He asked.

It was dark and cold out, the clean and fresh-smelling air along with the crunch of their footsteps from the light dusting of snow and ice on the ground giving their surroundings a sense of otherworldliness. Vinny and Jack were headed to a small, enclosed place in the park that was sort of like a community center, only not as big and was open 24/7, including holidays; no one ran it, and there was always a key in some hidden spot around the entrance. Tonight, it was taped to one of the girders on the ceiling above the front doors, and Vinny unlocked the doors for them so they could get in. "It's fockin' freezin' out t'ere!" Jack commented as soon as he was inside.

"Yeah, it's getting pretty chilly." Vinny agreed, closing and locking the door behind him. 

Jack shook his coat and then took it off, opting to warm himself via the fireplace. He tossed some logs into it and squirted igniter fluid onto them, then using a long-handled match to light it. Meanwhile, Vinny set one of the pillows from the sofa down in front of the fire and sat on it, watching Jack stoke the logs to get them all burning. "You sure know how to handle a fireplace." He told him.

Jack looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I live in a cabin, ye kinda have'ta know." Was his reply.

"At least I'll never freeze to death with you around."

Jack faltered in his movements; Vinny eyed him up and down and asked quietly, "Everything okay?"

With a quick glance back at him, Jack stoked the fire once more before setting the poker back with the other tools and sitting down a good foot or two from Vinny. "Yeah, I'm alright." He said.

Vinny scooched closer to him, noting Jack's reactions to him doing so with interest—mostly, Jack just seemed to close up. He rested back on his hands and stared into the fire. "Anything in particular you wanna talk about?" He asked.

Silence for a while, with Jack picking at the carpet, before, in a low tone, he said, "Do ye like me, Vinny?"

Vinny nodded. "I wouldn't be hanging out with you if I didn't."

"I s'ppose so. But..." Sean turned to look at Vinny, expression unreadable. "I wasn't talkin' about t'at."

'Oh.' Vinny thought—outwardly, he said, "I'm not quite sure I follow."

Jack stopped playing with the carpet and this time swiveled his entire body to face Vinny directly. "Let's play a game." He said.

Vinny turned himself, as well, the two of them now across from each other. "Ok, what game?"

"Truth 'r dare."

Vinny hadn't played that in years; he'd always found it kind of juvenile, but then again Jack was younger than him, so it made sense. "Alright, I'll go first."

"Truth or dare?" 

"Mm... dare."

"I dare ye t' take off yer jacket."

"Which one?"

"Both."

Vinny took off his jacket and hoodie, leaving him in just his T-shirt and jeans. Jack looked him over and then crossed his arms, lowering his gaze to the carpet; clearly, he'd tried to be discreet, but Vinny wasn't dense. "Your turn. Truth or dare?" He asked.

Jack uncrossed his arms and cleared his throat, lifting his head to Vinny. "Truth." He chose.

'Might as well cut straight to the point.' Vinny thought before he asked, "Have you ever dated a guy?"

Either it was the light from the fire, or Jack was turning red. "...No. I'm..." He faltered. "No."

"Hm, alright, ask me now."

Jack rubbed his neck and arms, eyes all over the place. "I– I'm—" He tried to say, but seemed to change his mind. "It's hot in here, don't'cha t'ink?"

Vinny motioned to the sofa and chairs. "Wanna move back from the fire?"

"Yeah."

They stood up and sat on the large sofa that faced towards the fire, turning towards each other so they could continue their game of truth or dare. "Ok, truth 'r dare, Vinny?" Jack asked.

"Truth." Vinny answered.

"Ahm... have... _you_ ever been wit' a guy?"

Vinny scratched at his light stubble and pondered a bit. "Mostly one night stands, never really dated. But, yeah."

That answer seemed to affect Jack in some way, though how, Vinny couldn't tell—he seemed to breathe a little heavier, and maybe fidget more than he usually did. "Your turn." Vinny said.

"Dare." Was Jack's response.

"I dare you... hm." Vinny thought a moment; what could he dare Jack to do? His mind was pulling a blank. "Uhm, I dare you to... tell me about the dream you had last night." 

For a moment, Jack gawked. "What?"

"Tell me about the dream you had last night."

There was a moment of silence as Jack rubbed his hand on his cheek and then ran it through his hair, again turning red, though it was probably just the lighting. "I ah, it was... about you," He mumbled.

Vinny felt his heart skip in his chest. "And?"

"We... were playing video games in my room..."

"Yeah..?"

"I beat you in... Mario Party, and then you said that you had something for me, so I... turned to see what it was," Jack was no longer looking at Vinny, instead with his head ducked and arms crossed. "You... kissed me."

A warm feeling swelled in Vinny's chest, followed by a small smile cracking across his face. "That's cute." He said.

Jack looked stiff. Vinny reached out and touched his shoulder, only to have Jack recoil from his hand and scrunch into a ball on the other side of the sofa. "I'm not gay." He whispered almost inaudibly.

"I never said you were." Vinny said, lowering his arm to settle in his lap.

There was no reply from Jack, who was looking at him from out of the shadows of his face, eyes sparkling from the tears building up in them. Vinny scooted closer to him and used the sleeve of his hoodie to wipe them away. "You're okay." He near-whispered.

Jack's eyebrows were furrowed and he was still in his ball, arms wrapped around his folded knees; he watched Vinny toss his hoodie back onto the other arm of the sofa, then settle back beside him with one leg on the sofa cushion. "Do you still want to play?" Vinny questioned.

"... Why are you so nice t' me?"

Vinny shrugged. "I like you."

"But we're not even friends."

"Do you want to be friends?"

"Vinny," Jack frowned at Vinny, looking the most unhappy and confused that he'd ever been. "Why're ye so adamant t' be close t'e me?"

Vinny moved back from Sean. "I told you, man: I like you, but if you want me to back off, then I will. I thought you called me here so we could get to know each other, but if you just want to be surface-level, then I can do that."

He leaned back and took out a cigarette, sticking it in his mouth and lighting it, puffing until it was sufficiently burned. "Sorry," He heard Jack say quietly. 

With a shrug, and a "Don't worry about it," he blew the toxic smoke out of his nose and then offered the cig to Jack, who cautiously took it and gave it a drag, immediately starting to cough. Vinny laughed, a higher-pitched sound, patting Sean on his back to help him out. "Good, that means you don't smoke." He said.

"I do too!" Jack rebutted, though he handed the cigarette back to Vinny.

"Don't. These things'll kill you."

Jack watched Vinny inhale a lungful of fumes, then drop his head back and puff out different shapes in the smoke; circles, swirls, and two hearts, one of which Jack reached out and touched in amazement. Vinny smiled inwardly as he observed Jack do that, secretly glad that his dramatic smoke show got him impressed. "Hey Jack," He began, "Wanna see something?"

Jack nodded. "Sure."

 

Vinny took him back to his dorm and locked the door so that Joel knew not to come in, plugging in the fairy lights that ran along the wall, casting a dim glow over the room. With Jack sat on the bed, Vinny took up his guitar and tuned it, asking, "Know how to play?"

Jack shook his head. "Always wanted t' learn, but never got around to it."

"I'm not that good, but I know how." 

Vinny finished tuning it and then started to strum, plucking out a tune for a little before he started to sing. 

_"Give me help, give me help_  
_You can... levitate me_  
_Then take off them rings,_  
_Off them hose,_  
_Levitate me_  
_Higher place,_  
_Levitate me."_

Vinny sped up his strumming and switched between chords, his eyes on his guitar. 

_"If all in all is true, if all in all is true, if all in all is true,_  
_If all is true,_  
_Won't you please fawn over me?_  
_Won't you please fawn over me?_  
_Won't you please fawn over me?_  
_Won't you please fawn over me?"_

There was a more drastic chord switch this time; Vinny glanced up at Jack to see him fidgeting with his hands, intently watching him play.

_"Come on Pilgrim,_  
_You know he loves you_  
_Levitate me_  
_Higher place,_  
_Levitate me."_

Vinny began to strum like he had when he first started playing.

_"If all in all is true, if all in all is true, if all in all is true,_  
_If all is true,_  
_Would you please run over me?_  
_Would you please run over me?_  
_Would you please run over me?_  
_Would you please run over me?_  
_Would you please run over me?_  
_Me, me, me, me..."_

Vinny placed his hand on the strings to stop the vibrations and set his guitar aside, lifting his head to gauge Jack's expression. "That's one of my favourite songs." He told him.

"You're... very pretty," Jack fumbled, clenching his hands, "I mean, it was very pretty. Your voice is nice!"

Vinny smiled a little. "Thank you. I'm still working on it."

Jack scratched the back of his neck and jumped a little, Vinny hearing his phone vibrate in his pocket. Sean took it out and checked the message that he got, Vinny seeing his mouth turn up. "Mom wants me'ta come home." He said.

"I'll drive you." Vinny told him.

"T'ankya. Sorry, again, fer... what happened."

"It's alright," Vinny stood up and took another cigarette out of the pack in his pocket, "Let's go."

When Vinny unlocked and opened the dorm door, Joel was standing on the other side with his bag in hand. "Jesus!" Joel yelped at the sudden opening of the door. "Warn me next time, Vin—" His eyes drifted and spotted Jack peaking over his shoulder, his expression faltering a bit. "—ny. Hey."

Jack waved a little. "Hi, Joel."

"Hey Joel," Vinny said as he lit his cigarette. "Just taking him home."

"Uh huh..." Joel flitted his eyes between the two of them and then stepped aside so they could pass. "Good seein' you, Jack."

"You too." Jack replied.

Vinny settled a hand on Jack's upper back and gave him a little push out the door. "C'mon, don't want your mom to worry."

 

The drive was relatively quiet, broken only by the radio playing music. Vinny kept his eyes on the road this time, though he did occasionally glance over at the passenger seat to find Jack staring out the window. Soon, they pulled up in the driveway of Jack's house, none of the lights on except for the porch light. Jack unbuckled his seatbelt, but didn't get out, Vinny turning to him in anticipation for him to speak. Sure enough, Jack asked, "Who's turn was it in Truth 'r Dare? Mine?" 

"I think it was mine." Vinny answered—not true, but he was curious as to what Jack was gonna ask him.

"Right." Jack nodded. "Truth 'r dare?"

"Dare."

A quiet moment, then, "I dare ye t' sleep over at my place on Friday."

Vinny gave a small smirk and laughed a little. "I can do that."

Jack beamed. "Awesome!"

"See you then."

"See ya!"

Out Jack went, sprinting up to his front door and inside. Vinny watched for a time, then turned around and drove back to his university.

When he made it back inside his dorm, Joel was waiting for him with his arms crossed and long, ashy brown hair falling in his face. "Not gonna bang him, huh?" He commented.

Vinny rolled his eyes. "Not this again." 

"Vinny—"

"We didn't. Do anything. Okay?" Vinny threw up his hands. "Fuckin', I played my guitar and then his mom told him to come home. That's it!"

"What about before that?"

"We went to the covered area in the park, he made a fire, we played Truth or Dare. Nothing sexual, just us hanging out. Why do you always assume shit?" 

"I'm just lookin' out for you, man. I don't need you gettin' that poor kid in trouble with his parents."

"The age of consent in Ireland is 17, remember? Besides, he doesn't even like me that way."

"What about you? Do you like him?"

Vinny didn't want to answer that, so he started changing into his pajamas. He heard Joel get up from his bed and move to his own, the squeak of the springs signaling that he'd laid down. Once he was in his pajama pants and shirt, he unplugged the fairy lights and got into bed, laying with his face towards the spot that Jack had been sitting in.

+

Friday rolled around too quickly and not quick enough; Vinny had taken a shower and cleaned up for the occasion, deciding it best not to smell like cigarette smoke when he met Jack's parents for the first time. He'd packed his stuff and put it in his car beforehand, so all he needed to do after he'd finished his homework was grab his guitar and keys and then head to Sean's house.

Admittedly, he was pretty nervous, and as much as he wanted to smoke in order to calm his nerves, it wouldn't be the best idea considering—looks like nicotine gum for the next day or so. He blasted David Bowie on the drive up, singing and drumming along on his steering wheel and thighs, making the time fly by just like the street signs; an album later, he arrived at the log cabin and shut off the ignition, grabbing his bag and guitar from the passenger seat. 

There was the sound of glass shattering and the splintering of wood, as well as a woman screaming. Vinny shut the car door and looked in the direction of the noise to find a chair broken on the lawn and a window broken from the inside out. He could hear two male voices shouting at each other, followed closely by the front door slamming open and a guy who could be no younger than him storming out with a bottle of a nondescript alcohol brand in his hand. A man whom Vinny assumed was Jack's father appeared in the doorway, yelling, "I DON'T WANT YE COMIN' BACK HERE IF YOU'RE DRINKIN'! YE HEAR?! I WON'T HAVE IT IN MY HOUSE! YOU COULDA KILLED HIM!!"

The drunk guy turned and chucked the half-empty bottle at him, his aim way off, the bottle instead landing to the far left of the house. Before Vinny could even consider getting in his car and leaving, Jack's father(?) saw him and let out a surprised noise. "Oh! 'm sorry, lad, I didn't see ye t'ere." He called, waving Vinny over and holding out his hand to shake. "You must be Jack's friend."

"Vinny, sir." Vinny told him, shaking the man's hand. "I hope it's not a bad time."

"'Course not! Jest some failed parenting, is all. Come in!"

Vinny was led inside by Mr. McLoughlin, his brows furrowing a little at the sight of smashed glass, flipped furniture, and a teary-eyed woman comforting Jack and presumably Jack's younger brother. Mr. McLoughlin patted the lady's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, saying, "Take yer brother and go out fer a few hours, alright? Jack 'n I'll take care'a t'e mess."

"Alright, Dad. Let's go, Johnny." Jack's sister took Johnny's hand and led him past Vinny to the other part of the house. 

Vinny reached out and touched Jack's shoulder, as he was still sitting on the floor next to the remains of a coffee table. "Are you okay, Sean?" He asked quietly.

Jack whipped his head toward him, the relief in his face when he saw him so stark that it was like he became a different person. "Vinny!" He cried, shooting into his arms and hugging him tightly. "'m so glad yer here!"

Vinny hesitantly put his arms around him, but when he did he didn't feel like ever letting go, tightening his grip and closing his eyes. "It'll be alright, Jack." He told him, his voice muffled by the hoodie Jack was wearing.

"Son," Mr. McLoughlin's voice broke through their intimate moment, Jack pulling back a little so he could look at his dad.

"Yeah?" He croaked; his face was tear-stained and Vinny didn't like it, but he figured that Jack wouldn't want him wiping his tears in front of his father, so he kept his hands to himself.

"You 'n yer friend needta help me once ye get him settled. Gotta clean up before yer mom gets home." 

"Ok," Jack motioned for Vinny to follow him. "This way, Vinny."

They walked down the hall to the last room on the right, Jack pushing the door open, then closed once Vinny was inside, hugging him again and starting to cry. Vinny dropped his bag and guitar case so he could better hold Jack, the two of them slowly sliding down to the floor, Vinny's legs splayed with Jack nestled in between. After a couple minutes, and when it seemed that Jack had calmed down some, Vinny asked, "What happened?"

Jack sat up, Vinny wiping the tears from his eyes. "My brot'er... he came home drunk, an' when me dad confronted him about it, he flipped out. Tossin' shit... he threw a chair at my head but missed and it went out t'e window." He answered quietly.

Vinny felt his hands start to shake at the imagery of a chair flying at Jack, not realizing that the grip he had on Sean's shoulders was tightening as a result until Jack said, "Vinny, my arm."

He blinked rapidly and let him go. "...Sorry."

"I'm okay now, Vinny. Let's j'st forget about it 'n have fun. Alright?"

"Yeah, you're right. I'll put my stuff away, then we can help your dad."

Jack smiled; it seemed kind of weak. "Sounds like a plan!"

 

After Vinny had his stuff put away, he and Jack helped Mr. McLoughlin sweep and vacuum up the glass, repair the broken chairs and coffee tables, and then order a replacement for the window. In the meantime, Vinny and Jack taped a tarp over the empty frame on both sides to help keep the cold out. Once that was done, Mr. McLoughlin was called into work and Jack started dinner. "You ever made chicken 'n dumplings, Vinny?" He asked him as he took out biscuit mix from the cupboard.

Vinny shook his head and pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie, walking up to where Jack was standing in front of the stove. "Can't say that I have." He said.

"Et's pretty easy," Jack tapped a recipe on the back of the biscuit mix box. "Just gotta follow t' recipe."

Vinny read out the ingredients for Jack, who got them all out and started simmering the chicken and vegetables in the chicken stock, adding thickener and seasonings. "Once t'at is almost done, we can add t'e dumplin's." Jack told Vinny, who was kneading the biscuit dough. 

"Smells pretty good," Vinny commented, stopping in his actions to take a look into the pot, "I'm just hoping it's not terrible."

Jack bumped his hip and made a disgruntled noise. "Ye have no faith in my cookin' skills, do ya?" 

Vinny shrugged. "I have no reason to, I mean I've never had your cooking before, so how can I judge?"

"Yea, whatever. T'row t'e dumplin's in there."

Globs of dough was dropped into the thick chicken stock, stirred once, then left to cook, Jack setting a timer for twenty minutes and then taking Vinny back to his room to play video games. 

 

Mrs. McLoughlin came home an hour later, not surprised by the broken window, but very concerned about Jack, coddling him all throughout dinner and until she went to bed at eight, whereupon Vinny helped Jack put the leftovers into containers and into the fridge, washing the few dishes that were in the sink, then heading back to Jack's room so they could complete their match in UMVC3. Vinny was playing as Ryu and Jack as Deadpool—of course—and to be honest, Vinny was getting his ass handed to him on a silver platter with a special wine that went great with ass. "Fuck! Stop kicking my ass!" He yelled, though he was enjoying himself.

"How's it taste, loser?!" Jack screeched, dealing an insane amount of damage with one of his combo moves; Vinny was finished, and sure enough, he lost for the third time, making it 3-0 in Jack's favour.

Vinny set his controller down and stretched, starting to take off his jacket and shoes. "Might as well get comfortable." He said.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Vinny could see how flustered Jack was at him taking off his hoodie, smirking inwardly and stretching his arms and legs, his shirt riding up to give a peek at his stomach. Jack crossed his arms and folded his legs up against his chest, closing himself off; Vinny criss-crossed his legs and took up his controller. "What now? Wanna go again?"

Jack crawled up to his consoles and switched his Wii on, shutting off his Playstation and switching the inputs. "We can play some Mario if ye want," Jack suggested, searching for his Mario game. He had his chest low to the ground, consequently raising his butt in the air, giving Vinny a perfect view of everything—Vinny couldn't help but run his eyes over Jack's backside, following the curve of his spine to the part of Jack's chest and stomach that he could see. His fingers twitched with the urge to slide his hands over all of it, but he bit the inside of his lip and looked away to keep those urges buried deep. By then, Jack had found his copy of the new Super Mario and had put it in his Wii, sitting back beside Vinny so they could play the Co-op mode. 

 

Around 11 that night, it was time to shut the games off and keep quiet so the rest of the people in the house could sleep without Vinny or Jack shouting curses every time they died. The two of them brushed their teeth and washed their faces, stripping down to their pajamas, aka T-shirts and boxers. Vinny decided not to wear his pajama pants, though why he didn't know since he wasn't a huge fan of his legs, but it was too late to change his mind, so he simply sat on Jack's bed with him against the wall and softly played his guitar. Jack was watching him play, swaying gently back and forth to the melody, which Vinny found incredibly cute and only urged him to keep strumming. "Can ye show me how t' play?" Jack questioned.

Vinny gave a nod. "Sure. Turn and face your TV."

Jack did so, and Vinny sat behind him, reaching around him with the guitar to settle it in his lap. He picked it up and instructed in a low tone, "Hold it like this,"

"Oh..kay." Jack replied, taking up the guitar as Vinny had done. Vinny could've sworn he saw his hands trembling, but maybe it was just his imagination. 

"Now, you press chords like this," Vinny demonstrated, then strummed. "Always use the guitar pick, but since we have to be quiet we won't do that." 

Jack nodded. "I get it." He pressed the same chord that Vinny had and strummed clumsily, making Vinny chuckle.

"Pretty good, but try it more like this..." 

Vinny held Jack's hand and used it to strum, allowing his fingers to trail over Jack's forearm when he retreated. "You see?"

Jack rasped, "Y-yeah, I got it."

"Good!" Vinny scooted a tiny bit closer, until he was snug up against Jack's back, his mouth right beside his ear. "Want me to show you some basic stuff?" 

He felt—and saw—Jack shiver at the chill breath he exhaled over the skin of his neck, a tiny sound escaping from the back of Jack's throat. "V... Vinny," Jack murmured, "Please move away from me..."

Vinny crawled around to his ten o'clock and sat there, putting his guitar back into its case, looking Jack over; his eyebrows were spooned and knitted together, his hands were tightly gripping his boxers and bedsheet, and his lips were slightly parted and releasing heavy breaths. The sight sent shivers of arousal down Vinny's spine to his crotch, who was trying to ignore it because if he got a boner, it'd be way too noticeable with him only wearing underwear. Jack lifted his gaze to Vinny and said, almost inaudibly, "Wanna play Truth or Dare?" 

"Sounds great." Vinny agreed.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

It was kind of dimly lit in Jack's room, but Vinny could still see pretty well, so when he saw Jack's expression, he wanted to hold him all over again. "Do you love me?" Jack asked.

Vinny didn't know how to answer that. "Uhm...

"Because... I don't know," Jack tried to convey, "Because I think I love you."

"I don't know," Vinny said as he took off his socks and tossed them to some corner of the room, "There's something in me that feels backwards when we're together, and when I touch you, it's... it's better than a thousand kisses on my skin at once. I don't know how to say it."

Jack crawled closer to Vinny and moved the blankets out of the way. There was an extreme intensity in his eyes that had Vinny feeling like he was burning up from the inside out, both just inches from the other. "Jack," Vinny whispered, raising a hand to cup the side of Jack's face.

"Vinny," Jack breathed with his hands on Vinny's waist.

Seconds of them staring, and then the desperate kiss, lips meeting lips in a tension-relieving lip lock that had Vinny turning to mush. He heard Jack whimper, felt him wrap his arms around his neck and shift to sit in his lap; Vinny ran his hands over every inch of Jack's body under his shirt, relishing in the slenderness and the muscles that drumming had given him, breaking the kiss so that he could mouth at Jack's neck and part of his chest, Jack himself moaning and whining. "Vinny! Ohhh..." He keened.

"Fuck, I've wanted to touch you from the moment I saw you..." Vinny breathed into his skin, feeling Jack claw at his upper back and whimper. The sound rattled Vinny's insides, making him groan and press his front against Jack's, sitting up more so he could push him down onto the bed, nestled between Jack's legs. Jack's face and upper part of his chest was red and pink, and Vinny thought it was the cutest thing ever. He cradled his face in his hands and whispered, "You're so beautiful."

Jack looked away and bit his lip. 

"Let me see your eyes," 

After a second, Sean flitted his eyes back to Vinny, his thick brows dipped and knitted together, pink lips parted to release shuttering breaths. Vinny brushed his thumb over Jack's lips and eyelids, leaning down to kiss him deeply; he trailed his hands up Jack's arms to lace their fingers together, and when he did, he felt Jack squeeze his hands and hold on tightly, like if he let go he'd go spinning off into space. In all honesty, Vinny felt the same way. 

When Vinny pulled back to instead place butterfly kisses along Jack's neck and chest, Jack murmured, "Vinny... c-can I ask ye somet'in'?" 

Vinny paused in his kissing and sat up a little. "Sure, what?"

Jack propped himself up on one arm and fidgeted with Vinny's hand in his, looking down at the bed. "Would you date me..?"

"Why?" Vinny asked.

"Because I don't... I don't want ye usin' me just because I'm younger t'en you." Jack stared at him with intent. "I know 'm naïve and vulnerable-lookin', but I know my worth and... as much as I like ye, I won't let you use me fer my body, ok?"

Vinny nodded. "I understand. I'd..." He twisted up his mouth. "I'd date you."

A bright smile spread across Jack's face at that. "Good."

He stretched and laid down, patting the space beside him. "C'mon, lay down."

Vinny plopped down next to him and threw an arm over his waist, stroking over his back with a lazy hand. Jack cuddled up to him, fingers dancing across his chest and even breath on his skin through his shirt, giving Vinny a sense of sereneness that calmed him and made him fall asleep. 

+

Vinny could only stay the next day for breakfast and a quick stroll with Jack through the woods around his house, and then he had to leave for his band practice. He kissed Jack goodbye, then got into his car and drove the forty minutes back to the university to meet up with his friends Mike and Joe at the university's studio; first, he had to drop his stuff off at his dorm.

Joel was there, laying on his stomach on his bed with his papers and textbooks spread out around him. When Vinny opened the door and strode in, Joel glanced up and, upon seeing him, sat up and looked him over. "How was the sleepover?" He asked.

Vinny dumped his bag onto his bed and shrugged. "We played games, made food, helped clean up the house. It was alright."

Joel nodded. "Sounds like fun. How were his parents?"

"They liked me."

"At least you won't have to worry about that."

Vinny nodded and waved to him. "See ya later."

"Good luck with practice."

The weather was nice outside, so Vinny took his time in walking to the studio, enjoying the fresh air and light snow that covered everything in sight. He took out a cigarette to smoke and lit it, remembering how amazed Jack was when he blew those shapes into the smoke; he'd kind of figured that Jack was one who was easily impressed, and he'd been right, which was good since he didn't have a lot of things about himself to like, so he'd have to talk up what he did have, and hopefully that would be enough.

At the studio, Vinny suggested to Mike and Joe that they work on different types of songs, and when they asked for clarification, Vinny said, "I dunno... love songs, maybe."

 _"Love_ songs?" Mike gawked. "Woah, who's got you actually feeling things?"

Vinny rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to keep it diverse, but if you guys don't want it then whatever."

Joe held up his hands. "Alright, don't get your dick in a twist, we can try different songs. Got a particular one in mind?"

Vinny waved his songbook. "Wrote a couple lines for it already."

Stretching, Mike yawned, "Let's give it a look."

The book was flipped open to the current song that Vinny was working on, a short little ballad titled, "Stood Still". "I like the title." Mike commented.

"'He'?" Joe asked when he read over the few lines Vinny had.

All the response Vinny gave was a shrug.

"Hmph." Mike grunted, also shrugging. "Sounds cool so far, I say we try it. Joe?"

"Yeah, sure." Joe nodded. "I'm down."

And with that, they wrote lyrics and notes for the next few hours.

 

Eight rolled around and Vinny went back to his dorm to find it void of Joel, giving him a chance to have some alone time—aka, smoking weed and listening to one of his favourite Pixies albums. He could rub one out, but he wasn't really in the mood for that, even though he could feel the twisting in his lower abdomen. To keep it at bay, he washed his face and brushed his teeth, then laid down and enjoyed his time alone until he fell asleep.

He had a dream that night; of course, it was with him and Jack. They were in Vinny's dorm, the fairy lights on and an incense stick on the dresser burning to fill the air with its scent. Jack was naked and lying on the bed, that adorable blush that Vinny loved so much covering his face and chest. "Stop staring at me..." Jack whispered, but Vinny shook his head.

"I can't, you're too pretty." He told him. With gentle hands, he spread Jack out, his legs apart and hands above his head. 

"Aaahh..." Jack breathed, his legs shifting in an attempt to cover his bare crotch. "No..."

Vinny chuckled and massaged his legs in an effort of comfort. "It's ok, let me see you."

Hesitantly, Jack folded his legs back and spread them, revealing his asshole and hard dick to Vinny, who raked his eyes over him and mumbled, "God..." He ghosted his hands over Jack's abdomen, chest, and sides, the action making Jack bite his lower lip and moan. "You really are beautiful."

Jack started to tremble. "Stop sayin' t'at... i-it makes me h-horny..."

Just as Vinny bent down to kiss him, an incessant beeping startled him out of his dream—it sounded like a bomb timer. Groggy, he fell out of bed and yelped, "Bomb..!"

From the other bed there was laughter, followed by Joel's voice saying, "You play too many video games, Vinny."

Although still half asleep, Vinny got up from the floor and grumbled, "What was that?"

"My alarm went off."

Vinny fell back into bed and flipped Joel off. "Put it on vibrate next time."

In response, Joel badly imitated him saying that.

 

Unfortunately, the dream that Vinny had didn't continue when he went back to sleep, and when he woke up later that morning, the boner he'd gotten from it had deflated and he was no longer horny. 'Well at least I won't have to jack off.' He thought. 

His phone going off relieved him of any further thought, him sitting up and grabbing his phone to read the message—scratch that, messages—that Jack had sent him. Two from last night and one from just now, the earlier ones just Jack telling Vinny that he had a good time with him and that he hoped to see him again soon; the more recent one said that Jack missed him, and hoped he slept well. Vinny replied, _"I slept ok, and ive missed u too."_

He got up out of bed and grabbed some clothes for a shower, reading Sean's reply as he did. _"got any plans today?"_

Vinny headed towards the dorm's showers along with a few other students and texted, _"I'm open all day. about to shower currently"_

A couple minutes went by until Jack replied, and when he did, all he said was, _"ok"_

 _"You ok?"_ He asked as he undressed.

_"yeah! just enjoy your shower :)"_

Vinny set his phone with his stuff, stretched, and then walked into one of the shower stalls. After a second of thought, he got back out and grabbed his phone, turned on the front facing camera, and took a selfie—making sure not to include anything below the belt, of course. He sent it to Jack and slipped back in the shower.

 

A quick wash and condition of his hair, scrub of his body, trim of his pubic hair, and brush of his teeth and then he was done—all in all, about twenty minutes. He hadn't shaved in a while, so his heavy stubble was giving him a very disheveled look, which he thought looked pretty good on him actually. On went his shirt and underwear as well as his pants, sitting on the bench to slip his socks and shoes on; just before he put on his shoes, he took up his phone and checked if Jack had replied to his picture. Upon seeing the reply, his cheeks warmed. _"are you naked..?"_ And another message: _"youre really hot vinny... is it ok if i save this?"_

 _"You can save anything i send you :^]"_ He replied, then set his phone down so he could finish getting dressed. Afterwards, he stood up, took his clothes, and walked back to his dorm, looking at the three messages Jack had sent him and—coming to a stop with his eyes wide and face turning a little red; Jack had sent him two texts and a picture, the two texts reading, _"thats good to know!"_ and _"here u go...."_

The picture... was of Jack in his boxer briefs and undershirt, his expression flustered and not focusing on the camera as he held his dick through his underwear. Vinny trailed his eyes over the picture, of course focusing in on the lower part and feeling himself get hot at the sight; sure enough, his pants became tighter and his breathing got a little heavy. He replied to Jack, _"Holy shit you look really good"_

 _"thank you > >;"_

Vinny locked the picture message so it wouldn't be deleted and then kept walking back to his dorm. _"Youre welcome :)"_

_"do u want to go out tonight? there's a rly nice place i know we can go to"_

_"Sure, when should I pick you up?"_

_"seven :)"_

Vinny could do that, but... _"Should i dress up nice or nah"_

_"kinda nice should be good"_

_"Hm alright. see you then!"_

_"see ya! :D"_

With a sigh, Vinny stuck his phone back in his pocket and went back inside his and Joel's dorm.

+

It took Vinny almost 45 minutes to find the right kind of outfit to wear—a maroon button-up shirt, some dark jeans and dress shoes, along with a little bit of mousse in his hair to keep it looking neat—and by the time he finished getting dressed and spritzing on the right cologne, it was 10 minutes past the time he needed to leave. Swearing under his breath, he jogged out to his car while trying to text Jack that he might be a little late, but was on his way; as soon as he was strapped into the driver seat, he peeled out and drove a little (a lot) above the speed limit to pick Jack up.

The radio was blasting Radiohead, which was what Vinny liked to listen to when he was particularly anxious—it'd been a few years since he last went on an actual date with a person he actually liked, so it was kind of nerve-wracking to be, you know, going on one, especially with someone like Jack, who'd probably been on many dates with a variety of people who were a lot better than himself. Actually, Vinny decided to just stop thinking about that before his newfound jealousy drove him off the road.

It was strange; although he'd dated a person in the past (note: _person_ ), he'd never really had any kind of jealousy, but with Jack, it was... different, and it honestly scared Vinny a little because he didn't know how to handle it. Just the idea of Jack getting romantic attention from someone other than him made a horrible, writhing feeling twist in his gut. 'I'll have to face that sooner or later,' He thought with his mouth all twisted up. 'For now, let's just have a good time with Jack.'

Only four minutes late, Vinny pulled up in front of Jack's house to find him waiting on the porch steps, his head whipping up upon hearing the crunch of Vinny's tires on the layer of frost that coated the driveway. Vinny barely had time to apply the brakes before Jack was pulling open the passenger side door and hopping in. Even after he'd buckled his seatbelt, he was still practically bouncing with energy, the aura around him full of excitement and joy. "Ready?" Vinny asked with laughter in his tone, turning the car around.

"You fuckin' know it!!" Jack cried as he threw his hands in the air.

Vinny smiled at him. "Where to?"

"Town! T'ere's a restaurant I want us to try out."

With a nod, Vinny sped off down the road towards town.

 

The place Jack wanted to eat at was a Greek place in the cool new shopping center in town, which Vinny didn't go to often as Joel liked to do all the shopping and he didn't get out much. In any case, Vinny held Jack's hand as they walked up to and inside the restaurant, opening the door for the both of them, Jack smiling when he did. "T'ankya!" He said cheerfully.

"No problem." Vinny said in reply.

They took a seat at a booth and looked at the menus; under the table, Vinny could feel Jack's feet and legs tangling with his, and it made him smile a little. "What're you gonna order?" He asked.

"T'e gyro meal. I've always wanted t' try it." Jack answered, setting his menu down with a smile.

Vinny loved when he smiled, how it seemed to make his entire being glow from within—in Vinny's opinion, it brought out the blue in his eyes. Without really thinking too much on it, he said, "You're so beautiful, you know that?"

A light chuckle from Jack, him rubbing a hand over his left cheek and his eyes dancing from the tabletop to Vinny and back again; Vinny could see that he was turning a little pink. "C'mon... don't say stuff like t'at." He laughed, nervousness in the edges of his voice.

"Why not? It's true." Vinny told him.

Jack chewed his lip without response, not looking at him. 'Maybe it's best to move on,' Vinny thought, then saying aloud, "I'll go tell them our orders, ok?"

Once Sean had given him a nod, he stood up and walked towards the counter and the dark-haired lady behind it. She smiled at him and stood at attention. "Evening, sir!" She greeted with an accent Vinny didn't recognize—Greek, probably.

"Hi, can I get two gyro meals with water, please?" He said.

"What kind of meat? We have lamb, pork, and beef."

"Lamb."

"Here or to go?"

"Here."

"Alright, it'll be £20.45. Take a number, your food'll be ready in a bit!"

Vinny gave her the money, took a number, then headed back to his booth, seeing Jack quickly turn his head away from him. As he slid into his seat, he asked, "Couldn't help but watch me, huh?" 

Jack crossed his arms and gave them a squeeze. "...You look nice."

Vinny smiled as best he could. "Thank you. I like your sweater."

Jack was wearing a cream coloured sweater vest over a baby blue dress shirt with the sleeves pushed up, as well as some nice-fitting, washed-out jeans and his usual Vans. The pink in his wild hair had faded completely by this point, so instead he had a really pretty aqua colour in its place. Vinny desperately wanted to run his hands through it. 

Jack beamed. "I was hopin' you would! I haven't worn it in years."

Vinny reached across the table to hold Jack's hand, playing with his fingers and zoning out for a time until motion in his line of sight brought him out of his daze. "Your food, gentlemen." The waiter said with a smile, "Enjoy your meals."

"Thank you," Vinny said.

"Looks great!" Jack almost shouted, pulling his plate closer and bouncing a little in his seat.

Vinny huffed out a laugh watching that happen, also pulling his plate and water in front of him. "Always full of energy, huh?"

"Yup!"

Somehow, that made Vinny even more attracted to him.

 

Over dinner, they talked about school, music (particularly Vinny's), places they'd like to visit ("I've always wanted t'a see New York!" "Oh, really? I lived there." "REALLY?!"), their personal lives, and, as they were leaving, their relationship.

Jack, of course, was the first to bring it up. "What am I t' you, Vinny?" He asked as he and Vinny exited the restaurant. "Like, d'you consider me yer boyfriend?"

It felt like Vinny's heart had stopped in his chest, his palms starting to sweat and a heavy, although inaudible sigh escaping him—he'd been hoping that Jack wouldn't ask about that, but his luck wasn't that good, clearly. "Uhh..." He began.

They stopped by the car, still holding hands, Jack staring up at Vinny expectantly, Vinny knowing what Sean wanted him to say but not knowing how to say it. Instead of vocalizing his reply, he nodded and gave a soft smile, squeezing the hand in his. Jack brightened and practically giggled, pulling Vinny down by the collar of his shirt so he could kiss him. 'Dodged a bullet,' Vinny thought with relief. "Where to next?" He asked once he'd popped the piece of gum Jack had given him into his mouth.

"How about the park? We can hang out there!" Jack suggested.

Vinny kissed Jack's forehead. "Sounds great."

 

The stars were bright in the clear, deep blue sky, Jack pointing out how big the moon looked tonight as he clung to him while they walked through the park towards the community center. Vinny nodded and told him it was beautiful, and that he looked angelic in the lighting, which made him bury his face in Vinny's coat. At the center, Vinny unlocked the door and waved Jack in, earning him a giggle and a playful smack to his shoulder. Like last time, Jack got a fire going, but instead of Vinny just sitting there, he turned on the radio and took off his black jacket, tossing it over the back of the sofa. Jack hopped up and took his coat off, as well; the crackling of the logs in the fireplace was almost as loud as the slow music that was playing, so Vinny turned it up a little. When he was facing back around again, Jack asked, "Want t' dance?" 

"Uh, I don't know how." Vinny answered.

"Don't worry, it's easy." 

Jack took his hands and guided them to his hips, pausing to kick his shoes off—Vinny did so, as well, feeling Jack's hands first settle on his shoulders, then wrap around his neck. "I'll lead." Jack told him. "Move with the beat, okay?"

"Alright," Vinny agreed.

With Jack's help, the two of them danced around the open space, actually managing to keep up with the music; the more they danced, the easier Vinny found it, and soon he was leading Jack, spinning and twirling him, and, when the second song was over, dipping him, which had Jack turning pink and laughing. Vinny stared down into his eyes with the heavy weight of desire churning in his gut, his breathing heavy from both the dancing and how flustered he felt. He stood Jack up with his eyes still in his, Jack furrowing his brows and questioning, "Are ye alright?"

Vinny couldn't respond, so he simply kissed him, tilting their faces to deepen the kiss with tongue and teeth. He heard Jack mewl and felt him slide his hands into his hair and grip tight, which made him groan. Jack managed to breathe out between kisses, "What— was that..?"

Red pooled in Vinny's cheeks and he told him, "I... like having my hair pulled..."

A moment later, Jack yanked on his hair, the sensation shooting straight to Vinny's already hardening dick. He moved them onto the sofa with him sitting and Jack in his lap, pulling back from their heated making out to look each other over; Jack's disheveled hair, swollen and shiny lips, and blown-out pupils was making Vinny feel some kind of way, and Jack must've known it, because he panted, "Don't stare at me like t'at..."

"Like what?" Vinny cocked his head to the side somewhat.

"Like..." Jack fidgeted and looked away. "Like how ya were. I... get all hot." 

"Not like I can help it," Vinny replied in what he hoped was a sultry tone, "you always look so sexy."

Jack bit his bottom lip and dipped his brows, face still turned away from Vinny, who took the opportunity to kiss and suck at his neck, the hand not on his hip working its way up his sweater vest and dress shirt. "Aaahh..." Jack breathed, his grip on Vinny's back tightening to pull him closer. 

Spurred by this, Vinny used both hands to push the fabric up to reveal Jack's hairy stomach. Sean whimpered at the cool air hitting his skin and whispered, "Wh– what if someone sees me..?"

"I locked the door, don't worry," Vinny reassured, equally as silent.

Jack shifted, eyes flitting from Vinny, to the door, and back again. Vinny pulled Jack's shirts back down and said, "Want to go somewhere else?"

"'m sorry." 

Vinny pecked his lips. "Don't worry about it. We can head to my dorm." He motioned for Jack to stand up, which he did, the both of them putting their shoes back on, then turning off the radio and snuffing the fire, locking the place back up before walking back to the car, Vinny with his arm around Jack, Jack with his head rested on Vinny's shoulder.

Driving to Vinny's dorm wasn't awkward, thankfully, just the two of them enjoying the music playing on the radio and holding hands, Vinny every once in a while adjusting his boner in his pants due to the discomfort. Soon—hopefully, anyway—that would no longer be a problem.

Thankfully, Joel was gone when Vinny checked inside the dorm for him, taking the opportunity to plug in the fairy lights and light an incense stick. Behind him, he heard Jack close and lock the door, and when he turned back around, Jack had his sweater vest and shoes off and was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, fidgeting with his hands. Vinny's heart pounded in his chest as he walked slowly up to him, hands out to unbutton Jack's dress shirt; with each button popped, more skin was exposed, and when that baby blue shirt slipped off of him, it was like seeing him for the first time. His breath hitched in his throat and his eyes raked over the leanly muscled torso with coarse hair dusting his chest and stomach and traveling down in a dark line to the waistband of his jeans. The paleness of his skin was stark against the darkness around him, and the pink growing on his face, shoulders, and chest was far more obvious than Vinny had ever imagined it would be. "You're..." He tried to say, but failed.

Jack hugged his arms and lowered his gaze to the ground, seemingly too flustered to say anything. Vinny took his hands and led them to the buttons of his button-up, his breathing trembling more with each exhale and ghosting over both of their hands. Jack was shaking really bad, Vinny could see it, and it was evident in the fact that he couldn't seem to get the buttons undone. It was strange; with how he was acting, it was like it was his first time... Vinny mentally smacked himself—duh! "Jack," He whispered as he softly stroked his hands over Jack's upper arms, "We can take a break if you need to."

Jack shook his head, still working at the buttons—he'd made it halfway finally. "'m alright, Vinny. J'st a little nervous."

Vinny blinked slowly and held Jack's hips; observing his face, he noticed how long Jack's eyelashes were and reached up to brush his thumb softly around his eyes, Jack looking up at him briefly with a smile. At last, the dress shirt was open and allowed to fall off of Vinny, revealing his pale skin and only slightly hairy but lanky torso; Jack seemed only capable of staring, his fingers twitching and voice shuddering out, "Yer even hotter in person..."

Vinny huffed out a laugh and scratched the back of his neck. "You're just saying that."

"Ye compliment me all the time, but I can't say somet'in' nice back?"

"I just..." Vinny's voice trailed off, twisting up his mouth. "Thank you."

Jack smiled a little, it faltering when his eyes landed back on Vinny's bare front. For some reason, Vinny started to feel warm under his gaze. Swallowing, he rasped, "Uhm... you can, touch me, you know."

Jack's eyes went wide much like a deer in headlights, his fingers still twitching as he lifted his hands to press them against Vinny's chest, digging his nails in a moment before sliding down to his abdomen and around to his back, scratching over it enough to leave red marks. Vinny hissed at the feeling and gyrated his hips, his eyelids falling closed and a moan escaping through his teeth. He heard Jack gasp at the sound, secretly proud of getting him riled up just by doing that. Opening his eyes, he hooked a finger in the waistband of Jack's pants and pulled him closer, his fingers expertly popping the button and pulling down the zipper—he saw Jack curl his toes as he pushed the pants off his hips to let them fall to the floor. Then, with a quick glance to Jack, took off his underwear, as well. 

Jack shifted his weight and crossed his legs a little, obviously uncomfortable being the only one naked. To counteract that, Vinny stripped off his pants to reveal that he wasn't wearing any underwear—in preparation for this situation, of course. No underwear to hassle with. Both men looked each other over, Vinny seeing Jack grow even harder upon laying his eyes on Vinny's boner, which he'd had since Jack sent him that picture earlier that day (in other stages, of course). Vinny took Jack's hand and led him onto the bed, laying him down and spreading him out like he'd been in his dream: legs folded back and spread, arms above his head. Everything about him was perfect, down to the scars and beauty marks that disturbed the paleness of his skin. The length and girth of Jack's dick was different from his dream, obviously; it was thicker, but not as long, probably about three and a half, maybe four inches, while the Jack in his dream had been roughly eight (ridiculous, in hindsight). From his position above him, he could smell the cologne that Jack had put around his crotch and couldn't help but smile at it. He caressed Jack's legs and kissed them gently, hearing Jack whine and mumble, "Please... yer makin' me r-really horny..."

Vinny thrusted his hips and groaned, "God, I'm—" 

He cut himself off and climbed atop Jack, pressing their dicks together; Jack cried out and bowed his back up off the bed, Vinny holding him by the small of his back and kissing at his chest. "Ah... Vinny..." Jack moaned.

"Fuck!" Vinny cried out and thrusted against him faster, fisting his hands in the sheets and clenching his teeth. "F-fuck..."

Jack tossed his head back and writhed, his quick breaths becoming hyperventilation and cries turning into high-pitched keens that shot down Vinny's spine like lightning. "I love you so much, Jack..." He grunted into Jack's ear, "I want to fuck you so bad..."

Jack visibly shivered with a heated, disgusting moan. "Don't... don't say t–t'at.... it—!" He was cut off by him curling up and coming with a choking cry, stretching out and arching up as he rode the rest of his orgasm with Vinny still moving against him. Vinny stopped thrusting his hips to look down at him; Jack was panting, hands on either side of his head, chest heaving and it as well as his stomach covered in sweat and cum. Almost his entire body was pink or red, and in all honesty, Vinny thought he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. 

"I love you, Jack." He said quietly. 

Jack blearily turned his head and opened his eyes to look up at him, still clearly worn out from his orgasm. "I love you, t-too... Vinny." He muttered, his smile weak.

Vinny kissed him, rolling off to the side of him and pulling away to lay on his back. He could see Jack staring him out of the corner of his eye, which was good, because he then began to stroke his still hard cock. He bit his lip and choked back a moan, squeezing his dick and raking his nails over the underside; grunting, he bowed his back and pumped faster, hearing and feeling Sean sit up and scooch over to his lower body. "Vinny," He breathed, "c-can I..?"

A bit reluctantly, Vinny pulled his hand away and spread out so Jack could crawl between his legs, propping his right one up. He looked at him through his lashes and stuck his hands behind his head with a whispered, "Touch me however you want."

"Shit," Jack breathed, blue eyes dragging down Vinny's body slowly, all the way to his feet and then back up again to stop at his green eyes. His expression appeared worried, but Vinny had seen it enough times to know that he was just flustered. "I can't believe how hot ye are," 

Vinny chuckled airily, seeming aloof but the red in his cheeks and on his shoulders told a different story. "If you find it attractive then that's good enough for me."

"How could I not?"

Vinny reached down and led Jack by the cheek into a kiss, the two of them intertwining their tongues and nipping at lips while Jack ran his hands over every part of Vinny he could reach, dragging his nails over the sensitive areas and tugging at Vinny's hair. Vinny let out a porn star-level moan when he did, his toes curling and nails digging into the pale skin of Jack's back. "Jack please... I'm so horny right now... I _need_ to get off..." He panted.

"Want me t' help you?" Jack asked in a tone Vinny had never heard before; it was dark, sultry, and it sent goosebumps all across his skin. 

"Y-yes," 

Jack stuck out his tongue and licked from Vinny's jaw down in a line to his dick, Vinny's hips moving of their own volition to meet it. Jack licked up the hot, hard dick in front of him, then suckled on the head, Vinny grunting and twisting his hands in the sheets under him—God, it'd been too long since he'd gotten head, and receiving it from Jack made it feel even better. Already, he could feel his orgasm approaching. "J-Ja-Jack, I'm—" 

Clearly, Jack wasn't ready for it to end, as he pulled back and hung off the bed so he could grab his pants, Vinny hearing the crinkling of a condom wrapper. "Prepared..?" He breathed.

A nervous chuckle. "I'd kinda... been hopin'."

Vinny huffed a laugh. "Me too."

Jack looked at him as he opened one of the condoms he'd torn from the pack. "Just... tonight, 'r the ot'er times?"

"Since we met."

Jack fumbled as he attempted to slip the condom onto Vinny's cock, pausing to ask, "Really?"

A nod. "When I saw you on stage that night, I really wanted to kiss you and touch you, but when we started talking, I discovered... that I liked you more than just physically." 

Jack smiled at him and said, "I had'a really bad crush on you when we met. But then..." He straddled Vinny's hips. "After I had t'at dream about ye, I knew it was more t'an that. Yer t'e first guy I've ever liked, so it was kinda jarring when I realized." He finished.

"I'm glad you decided to take a chance with me, Jack." Vinny sat up and stroked his thumb over Jack's cheek. "I'll treat you as best I can, okay?"

Jack leaned into his touch and nodded. "I know, I trust ye."

They kissed, more sensually and with more emotion than anything before, holding each other and moaning into each other's mouths with sighs and whimpers, Vinny pulling back from the kiss and lifting his hand to say, "Suck on these for me?" 

Jack took the three fingers Vinny held up into his mouth without question, Vinny feeling his tongue swirl around them and flit over them, the sensation somehow managing to make him even more hard than he already was. Once he thought they were sufficiently wet, he took them out and stuck them between Jack's legs, warning him briefly with, "Relax, ok? It won't hurt as much."

Two deep breaths from Jack, and then in went a finger, Vinny feeling Jack grip his shoulders and grunt. "Alright?" He asked, still sliding the finger in.

Jack just nodded rapidly, so Vinny worked his finger in and out, the death grip beginning to loosen. After a time, he slid in the second one, which was accepted more easily than the first, one might even say greedily. Jack was starting to make little noises, his hips moving out of rhythm with Vinny's thrusting, and then—"Ah! Fock!" Jack cried, throwing his head back. 

"Found it," Vinny ground out with pride on the edges of his tone.

"What... what..." Jack tried to ask.

"Never heard of a prostate? What are they teaching in health class these days..." 

Vinny pushed in the third finger and scissored them, twisting and curling them, working them inside of Jack slowly at first but soon faster and harder, doing his best to hit Jack's prostate each time, fingerfucking him into oblivion. Jack was arching outwards, scratching at Vinny's back and his mouth agape in an 'O', choking sounds escaping it. "Gh... God! Vinny, sssslow d-down!" 

Gradually, Vinny did so, slowing to a stop, then pulling his fingers out and wiping them on the sheets before guiding Jack over his hard, condomed cock. "I wanna do it," Jack told him, kind of out of breath.

Vinny held up his hands and then leaned back on his elbows, watching Jack hold his dick in place so he could drop down onto it, carefully at first, but then more and more until Jack was fully seated on him. Jack was doubled over and breathing heavily, hands so tightly twisted in the bedsheets that it looked like they would tear a hole in it. Vinny had his head dropped back and was groaning, sliding out his arms from under him so he could fall back on the bed. 

"I– I feel so full," Jack commented as he sat back on his heels slowly.

Hissing, Vinny told him, "You feel really fucking good on my cock, Jack..." 

Jack whimpered and began to move, just up and down at first, but then around in a circle and back and forth, sometimes combining both to get him used to the feeling of something the size of Vinny's dick inside of him. He had tears in his eyes and was bouncing up and down on Vinny, embarrassing himself with the keens and mewls and shouts he'd make whenever he hit his prostate. "I'm– I'm– I'm—" He gasped.

Vinny felt desperate, his entire body on fire and expression screwed up; holy fucking shit Jack was so tight and warm and wet, it was actually making him melt. He almost couldn't breathe, couldn't feel anything but the sensation of Jack around him. "Jack! Jack!" He cried. "Please!"

On top of him, Sean was whimpering, jerking himself off with one hand, the other in his hair, a little bit of drool dropping out of the corner of his mouth. "Touch me, Vinny!" He begged. Vinny managed to reach out and grope as much of Jack as he could manage, pumping his cock and gripping his asscheeks like they were a lifeline. 

"I'm! I'm! Jack!" Vinny warned, seconds before he moaned deep in his chest and spilled over into his condom, writhing and sticking his head in his arms, an expression of pure pleasure etched into his features. However, Jack was still going, fucking himself on Vinny's softening, overstimulated dick, the intensity of it actually painful; unfortunately, he was a masochist, and told Jack to keep going until he came, too. Jack took back his dick from Vinny and pumped as fast he could, shooting his cum when he came all over Vinny's bare torso, a whine dragging out of him until he was completely done. Vinny, barely conscious, watched him slide off of him, the both of them hissing, though Jack more so for obvious reasons. He pulled the condom off of himself and tossed it in the trash (or at least he thought so) behind him, Jack plopping down next to him with a sleepy smile. "Can I crash here?" He asked, grogginess evident in his tone.

Vinny kissed him and pulled the blankets over the two of them. "Of course." 

Wrapped in each other's embrace, they fell asleep, unaware of the dorm door closing behind them. 

+

The next morning, Vinny awoke to the incessant tapping of fingers on his shoulder, waving it away at first, but then remembering Joel and startling himself awake; in his arms, Jack shifted, but didn't wake. "What?" He grumbled, sitting up some and turning at the waist and head to face Joel, who had his hands on his hips. 

"You told me you weren't gonna bang him." Joel accused. "Fucking typical."

"You know what, Joel?" Vinny growled, pointing a finger at him, "I hadn't expected to fall in love with him, but I did, and we had sex. It happens. Grow the fuck up!" 

"You could've said no!"

"Why are you so worked up about this? It doesn't even affect you!"

"You're so fucking stupid!" Joel shouted, but when he saw Jack shift again, he shut his mouth and narrowed his eyes. "You don't fucking get it."

"What? What _don't_ I get? Enlighten me, oh great one." 

"I liked him, too!" 

Vinny was stunned to silence, his eyes wide and posture slumping. "You... what?"

"Why the fuck did you think I even went to that shitty fucking concert, anyway? For the music? Jack invited me and I thought..." Joel crossed and uncrossed his arms, sticking his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and then taking them out again. "I thought he wanted to go out afterwards, but..." He glared down at Vinny with contempt. _"Obviously_ that didn't fucking happen."

Vinny swung his legs around to the side of the bed, leaving barely enough of the blanket to cover his junk. "If you'd told me earlier, Joel, I would've backed off. I don't have a problem with that. But you didn't, so I went with it." 

Joel dropped down on his ass onto his bed, rubbing a hand over his face and through his long, dirty-looking, light brown hair. "Yeah, I know..." He sighed. "I was just... hoping Jack would say that he was interested in someone else."

"He didn't."

"Did he even mention me?" 

Joel's eyes were kind of hopeful. Vinny couldn't look into them; Jack had never mentioned Joel, not even once, but he couldn't bring himself to tell him that. "...Only that you were 'a friend'."

The twinkle in Joel's eyes dimmed, then was gone. "Figures."

As much as Vinny wanted to feel guilty, he couldn't; it was Joel's own fault for not telling him that he was going to the concert to try and pick Jack up, or for not even telling him that he was interested in him at all. Vinny had no fault here. "I'm sorry, Joel." He said quietly. "But I didn't know. And... we're together now."

He received no response. After a moment of silence, Joel stood up and grabbed his wallet and keys, pulling his jacket from the foot of his bed as he left, the soft clicking of the door closing his only goodbye. Vinny placed his face in his hands and sighed.

 

Not too long afterwards, Jack woke up looking like he'd just had the best sleep of his life, his powder blue eyes sparkling and loud voice full of joy. The first thing he did when he woke up was to give Vinny a hug and a kiss and to tell him he had a great time last night, then ask where the bathroom was. Vinny told him that he would show him, since he was heading that way to shower, anyway. He gave him a pair of his shorts and a shirt to wear so he could walk with him to the bathroom without exposing himself, though the shorts were a bit too big and kept sliding down. "T'is place is pretty big!!" Jack commented, swinging his and Vinny's arms as they walked.

"Not when you get used to it," Vinny remarked.

Jack simply smiled and strode along (as best he could anyway, Vinny had been told that his ass was still sore), not even seeming to notice the other students around him giving him weird looks, only focusing on Vinny and their hands in each other's; at least that's what Vinny hoped, because that was what he was doing. He only had eyes for Jack.

They showered together and then dressed, Vinny telling Jack that he could keep the shirt—it was his favourite Star Trek one, but then again Jack was his favourite, so it evened out. "My mom says I have t' go home soon," Jack told Vinny as he read the text messages from his phone while they walked back to the dorm.

"Did she ask where you were last night?" Vinny questioned—he didn't need to be getting him in trouble. 

"Nah, I told her I'd probably be stayin' the night wit' ya."

"Your parents really trust you, huh."

Jack shrugged. "Never given t'em a reason not t'a. Besides," He squeezed Vinny's hand. "They like ya."

A sense of relief washed over Vinny upon knowing that. "I'm glad to hear."

 

When he took Jack home, Mrs. McLoughlin insisted that Vinny come in and eat breakfast with the family, and although Vinny wasn't a huge fan of that kind of thing, he went in anyway and helped Jack set the table, watching as one of Jack's older sisters—a different one from last time—watched cartoons with Johnny, the younger brother, in the living room, Mr. McLoughlin only stopping in to say hello and grab his lunch before heading to work, not mentioning the fact that Vinny was there or that his son was wearing a shirt that was not his. The drunkard older brother was nowhere to be seen, so Vinny figured he'd chosen the bottle over his family, which in his humble opinion was good; less trouble for the family. Mrs. McLoughlin recruited him to help serve the plates with pancakes, eggs, thick slices of ham, and toast with a variety of jellies to choose from—clearly, they kept their kitchen well stocked. A prayer was said (Vinny, having been raised Catholic, did the honours) and then they ate, Vinny helping Johnny cut his ham, the older sister, Marian was her name, asking him what his major in college was, Mrs. McLoughlin telling him that she was glad he was so respectful and helpful, "unlike Jack's other friends", and Jack just sitting there eating, interacting with his family and keeping his left leg touching Vinny's right at all times. 

As they were clearing the dishes and Jack was in the bathroom, Mrs. McLoughlin asked Vinny quietly, "Did ye know how old he was when you two started dating?" 

Vinny almost lost his grip on the plate he was drying, but managed to catch it again. He looked at Mrs. McLoughlin to see her simply washing more dishes, waiting for a response. He set the plate in the cupboard and answered, "Yes. I asked him when we met."

An understanding noise, then nothing more. They washed and dried in silence a while, before Vinny had to ask, "How'd you know?"

"I've seen t'e way ye two look at each ot'er. And he came home wit'a limp." Mrs. McLoughlin gave a sly grin. "I'm not stupid." 

Vinny decided to never lie to this woman and just keep drying the dishes, setting the rest of the cups and plates in their proper spots; when that was done, he heard the faucet turn off and felt a hand on his forearm, turning to see Mrs. McLoughlin staring up at him with a kind but firm expression. "Listen, lad, I don't mind ye dating my son, alright? You're a good kid, and my Jackaboy really likes you. But I know t'e dangers of ye bein' mature and him not, so I'm tellin' ye right now: you treat him like he's an extension of yerself, like yer one in t'e same. You treat him in all the ways you wished you could've been treated when you were his age, okay? Do you love him?"

"What?" Vinny faltered.

"Do you love Jack?"

"Of course."

"T'en act like it. That's all my requirements; t'at, and get him home on time." 

The grip she had on Vinny's arm was released, and things went back to normal.

 

He was there until ten AM, and then had to leave, kissing Jack goodbye before driving off in his car to the university, him hoping to finish the novel he was reading and complete the lyrics he was working on for his song for Jack. 

Joel wasn't there when he got back, which didn't surprise him in the least, considering. It was nice to have the dorm room to himself, that way he could get a lot of work done.

 

Sometime around nine that night, Vinny needed to pee, so he left his book on his bed and got up, leaving for the bathroom. He was gone not even four minutes, and when he came back, he heard strange noises and the sound of a bed creaking—however, that last one didn't register until he'd already turned the knob and cracked open the door to find a naked ass staring him in the face; too dark to be Joel's, but only by a margin, meaning that the other ass underneath them had to be Joel. The person on top was probably a dude, evident by the large muscles and balls that were peeking out from under his ass. Vinny cringed and slowly closed to door, but didn't leave, his curious, college fuckboy self leading him to press his ear to the flimsy plywood door and listen in; the slight squeaking of the bed, Joel's kind of feminine cries, the other guy's groans that were honestly kind of rattling. Joel's voice grew louder and more desperate, him saying stuff in Swedish, (seriously? already, Joel?) and then he grew silent, while the other guy kept going, finishing not long after. Almost inaudible words were exchanged and more squeaking of the bed, followed by silence. Vinny counted four minutes on his phone, waited a bit, then snuck in, trying to keep the noise and light down so as not to—"I was wondering when you were gonna barge in here." 

Not Joel, too deep and confident. Vinny turned around to find Joel's partner reclined casually on his side, his elbow propping him up and one of Joel's arms around his waist. He had short black hair cut into a fauxhawk, wire-rimmed rectangular glasses, and dark stubble covering his strong chin and jaw and he clearly worked out—handsome, but not enough to be threatening, if that made sense. 

"You saw me, huh?" Vinny said, taking a seat on his bed and facing the stranger. 

"Your shadow, but yeah." He held out his hand to shake. "Mark."

Vinny shook it; soft and warm, with callousness on the thumb and heel of his hand. "Vinny."

They each took their hand back. "So, seeing your roommate with some guy doesn't bother you at all?" Mark asked. The way he said "room" was a clear indicator that he was from eastern U.S; Vinny also noticed a slight lisp.

"No, considering he did the same thing to me last night." He answered. "What part of America are you from? I'm guessing Eastern."

"Good guess," Mark sat up, but made sure that Joel's hand was still around his waist. "I'm from Cincinnati. You?"

"Staten Island."

"What're you doing in Ireland? Can't be for the universities."

Vinny shrugged. "Joel and I wanted to be closer together instead of him in Sweden and me in America, so we chose a halfway point."

"How long you been here?"

"About a year. I transferred schools when Joel enrolled; next semester is my last."

Mark nodded, flashing a crooked, winning smile at him, which for some reason kind of made Vinny feel uneasy. "I just got here a few days ago. I'm enrolling next semester." Mark told him.

Vinny raised a brow. "May I ask why you chose Ireland of all places?"

"Study abroad program. All other slots were taken for scholarships, so it was either here or no school at all."

That was understandable, but... "Do you always go around having sex with your future upperclassmen?"

Mark's laugh was pleasant to listen to, the action revealing the dimples he had on either cheek. He scratched his shoulder with the opposite arm as he answered, "I don't usually sleep around at all, but I was in the bar—er, _pub_ —hoping to meet some friendly locals who would be willing to help me out when Joel came in looking a little worse for wear. I asked him what was wrong and things kinda went from there."

This knowledge caused Vinny to furrow his brows and turn up his mouth slightly; would this be another failed attempt at a relationship, this guy only wanting sex, leaving Joel with yet another broken heart? He couldn't really stand to see that happen a second time, and Joel probably wouldn't be able to handle it, so he asked, "Do you plan on talking to him after this?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't see why not. Why, there something I should know about?" 

"Just that he's in kind of a fragile state right now and I can't stand to see him have his heart broken again. I'm sure you already know that, though."

Nodding, Mark laid back down on his side, this time without propping himself up. "I know. I won't hurt him, I promise."

Vinny moved further back onto his bed and picked his book up. "Good. Sleep well."

"You too."

A few minutes later, Vinny heard him snore.

 

A week passed with nothing of note happening; Mark came over a lot to hang out with Joel, and sometimes when Joel wasn't there, he and Vinny talking or just sitting together in the room in silence. Vinny saw Jack a lot, whenever he wasn't at practice or in class; as much as he didn't like to admit it, being without him gave him anxiety, and he got lonely much easier than he used to. 

One day, Mark came over when Joel was out, dressed casually in a tight pink V-neck, jeans, and sneakers. He let himself in and plopped onto Vinny's bed while Vinny sat at the shared desk, typing up his report for English. His concentration was broken when Mark asked, "Whatcha doin'?"

Vinny stopped typing and glanced over to him a moment, then kept going. "I'm writing a report for class." He told him.

"What's it about?"

"Music theory."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mark nod, then lay down on his bed, pulling up the corner of the pillow and inhaling deeply. "This smells like you." He said softly.

"I sleep on it, so I'd imagine yeah." Vinny replied absently.

Mark let go of the pillow and curled up on his side, one of his arms hanging over the edge of the bed. After a second or two, he got up very suddenly and left, leaving Vinny still in his own world of music theory.

Later that night, the dorm door slammed open to reveal Joel with fire in his eyes, his chest heaving as though he'd just run a marathon. "You motherfucker!!" He yelled.

Vinny furrowed his brows and set his notebook and pencil aside. "What is it, Joel?"

Joel stormed up to him and threw something in his face. "What was THIS doing in Mark's apartment?!"

Blinking rapidly to clear himself of the daze the fabric had caused, he grabbed the item and held it up, turning it around: it was his Pixies shirt, the one that said "Velouria"on it. But... "This is mine," He said.

"I know that, you piece of shit! _Why was it in Mark's apartment?!"_

'Mark's apartment? What?' He thought in confusion. Aloud, he told Joel, "What are you talking about? I don't even know where that is."

"Then how'd it get there, asshole?"

Vinny tried to recall a time where Mark could've taken something of his, and then he said—"It was a few days ago, you two had just slept together and the next morning, Mark couldn't find his shirt, so I gave him one of mine." Vinny then added in a lower tone, "Shit, I completely forgot about that."

Relief washed over Joel like a wave, Vinny seeing the anger melt out of him and through the ground. "Oh my God..." He breathed, slowly sinking onto his bed. "Thank God..."

"Did you think I slept with him?" Vinny asked, although he knew the answer.

"Yeah, I... fuck, I've never been that mad."

"You looked pretty scary."

"I'm just gonna assume from now on that you aren't interested in him. Am I right?"

Vinny nodded, and Joel smiled.

 

Mark came back around the next morning while Joel was out shopping, giving Vinny a perfect opportunity to ask, "What was my shirt doing at your place?" 

The look on Mark's face was one of innocence. "What?"

Vinny poked the shirt he was wearing repeatedly. "Joel found this at your place, and I don't remember giving it to you, so why did you have it?"

Mark scratched the back of his neck, not answering for a few seconds. "I like you, and I like having stuff from people I like."

Anxiety. "Do you like Joel?"

The laugh Mark let out wasn't ill-willed. "I have practically his whole wardrobe in my closet, so yeah, I'd say so."

Ok, scratch out the anxiety. "Next time, ask instead of taking it, okay? I had to lie to Joel about why you had it."

"What'd he think?"

"That we slept together or something."

Mark laughed, which for some reason didn't make Vinny feel bad that he was. "I don't mean to laugh, Vinny, but..." He looked him up and down. "You're not my type. You smoke."

"So does Joel." Vinny commented.

"Yeah, but not like you. Chimney."

They both laughed this time.

+

Vinny was startled out of his sleep by his phone going off, two alarms fighting for who was going to tell him what first. The first was his alarm to wake up, the second... his eyes widened and he grabbed his phone, bringing it closer to his face in shock. 'Jack's birthday', it read. _He'd completely forgotten._ "Shit!" He yelped, both at his forgetfulness and the fact that he almost fell out of bed from trying to get up too quickly. The noise of him falling woke Mark, who'd been sleeping with Joel in his bed. 

"You okay..?" He mumbled.

"Yeah! Just forgot about something that's happening today."

"Mm..." Seconds later, he was snoring again.

Vinny threw on some clothes and combed his hair with a rake of his fingers through it, spritzing that cologne that Jack liked on his neck, wrists, and above his waistband, then grabbing his wallet and keys and running out of his dorm and to the parking lot; he needed a gift, and fast, even though Jack was probably not even awake yet. When he remembered that, he applied the brakes and texted Jack a "happy birthday" with two hearts, setting his phone back down and speeding off again in the direction of the shops. 

He knew that Jack really liked music, especially OST's and metal, so he stopped in a music store to buy a couple CDs—one of the Wind Waker soundtrack, the other of a band he knew Joel listened to—and then was off again, his eyes on the chocolate shop to buy Jack a dozen chocolate-covered roses (something he remembered Jack telling him he wanted to try). 

Now sufficiently more calm, he drove back to his dorm to gift wrap the CDs, finding Joel and Mark still asleep—Joel cuddled up to Mark's chest, Mark with his arms around him in a somewhat protective embrace. But, no time to dwell on the sleeping habits of his roommate now, there was gift wrapping to be done. He knew he still had some paper left over from Christmas, but couldn't seem to find it, so he placed the CDs in a gift bag he had laying around and stuffed it with the tissue paper, messing with it in hopes it looked nice. He checked one more time in the mirror that he looked presentable, and then took off for Jack's house with the chocolate roses and gift bag in hand.

When he arrived at the house, Mr. McLoughlin ushered him inside with a finger to his lips. "Good, yer here. Gifts go over t'ere." He pointed to the sofa that was full of presents. 

Vinny set the gift bag down onto it, Johnny pulling on his arm and saying, "Come on, hide with me!"

"Is this a surprise party?" Vinny asked him quietly as he allowed himself to be led over behind a large recliner.

"Yeah!" Johnny answered with excitement.

Everyone crouched down and kept all the lights off; Vinny heard a door open and feet shuffle down the hallway, followed by a whispered countdown from Mr. McLoughlin. On one, he, Johnny, the other older sister, and Mr. McLoughlin all jumped out and turned on the lights, shouting, "Happy birthday!"

Jack jumped and clutched his chest, letting out a swear. A smile broke out across his face when he saw the decorations and gifts, and when he saw Vinny with the dozen chocolate roses and a smile on his face, he grinned even brighter. "You guys didn't have'ta!" He said.

"Well, we wanted t'a." The sister that wasn't Marian told him.

"Happy 18th birthday, son." Mr. McLoughlin said as he kissed Jack on the top of the head.

"T'anks, Dad." Jack said.

Johnny grabbed his gift from the pile and gave it to Jack. "Open mine first!"

Jack laughed and ruffled Johnny's hair. "Let me eat first."

Vinny shuffled up to him, holding out the bouquet with a sideways, closed lip smile. "Here you go."

Beaming, Jack took the roses and kissed him, saying when he pulled back, "I knew t'at you'd remember!"

"I hope you like them." Vinny told him.

"They're from you, 'f course I will!"

Breakfast was sweet rolls, egg, ham, cheese, and spinach soufflé, and coffee (tea for Johnny). The stereo played the Wind Waker OST that Jack had been very delighted to receive while they all helped clean up so Jack could open the rest of the presents. From his eldest sister Marian, he got a pair of custom drumsticks; from the other sister, he received some money; from Johnny, a shirt he'd coloured himself (Jack put it on immediately); from his mom, a pack of condoms disguised as gum and a movie; and lastly, his dad's gift. Mr. McLoughlin took it out from between two books on the bookshelf and waved it: a large Manila folder. "Take a look," He said, and handed it to him. 

Jack opened it and slipped the papers out, skimming over the contents. "T'is is a lease fer a flat." He mumbled, looking up at his dad in confusion.

Mr. McLoughlin nodded. "It was yer brother's, t'e one me 'n yer ma helped him get after school, but since he's shown t' be not responsible, we got it signed in yer name."

"But t'en... where's Conan gonna live?"

"Fer now, jail."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Figures."

Vinny guessed that Conan was the drunkard brother he had the misfortune of running into all those weeks ago. Jack hugged his dad and his siblings, then kissed Vinny, whispering in his ear, "D'ya want t'a move in with me..?"

Vinny's eyes widened, pulling Jack back by the shoulders and staring at him—Jack's expression was hopeful yet resolved, and Vinny could see that he'd been thinking about it for a long time. "You should finish school first," He told him with a gentle smile. "Not like the apartment's going anywhere."

Jack grinned and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

+

School was out May 31st, three months after Jack's birthday. Vinny, Joel, and Mark sat with Sean's family in the crowd of people during the graduation ceremony, watching as the relieved teenagers got their diplomas and sat back down. "So, who're we here for?" Mark whispered to Vinny.

"His boyfriend." Joel whispered to him, Mark's eyebrows raising and he turning back to Vinny.

"Your boyfriend's in high school?"

"Can you guys shut the fuck up please?" Vinny hissed just as the announcer called Jack's name.

Jack walked up the steps onto the stage in his cap and gown, waving to his cheering family briefly before shaking the hands of his teachers and taking his diploma, he then doing a cartwheel off the stage with one hand. He'd asked before the ceremony if he could sit with his family instead of with his classmates, so when he was off the stage he sprinted down the aisle and onto Vinny's lap, wrapping his arms around him and giving him a kiss. "Did ye see me cartwheel?" He asked.

"Of course I did. You looked really cool." Vinny smiled.

They kissed again. 

 

Jack had asked not to have a party after, so everyone went home except for Vinny, who was going with Jack back to his place to play video games and hang out. 

They did end up playing games, but only for about an hour; Jack had been really handsy all evening, and Vinny just couldn't take it anymore. He kept his fingers in Jack's mouth to keep him quiet—as much as he loved hearing him, they didn't need the entire house knowing that they were having sex, regardless of how much of a kink it was of Vinny's. 

"I can't believe t'at we're gonna be livin' together after tomorrow." Jack whispered as they lay together afterwards.

"It's kind of weird to think about for me," Vinny told him, voice equally as silent, "since you're the first serious relationship I've had."

Jack lifted his head with wide eyes. "Really?"

Vinny paused in his stroking of Jack's hair to look down at him. "Yeah. I've never been really huge into dating in the first place, so this is all kinda new territory for me."

A pleased grin spread across Jack's countenance and he rested his head on Vinny's chest, squeezing him. "'m glad ye decided that I was wort' it."

Vinny kissed the top of his head and massaged his sides and back. "Me too, sweetheart."

Having anxiety about relationships was something Vinny had known for as long as he could remember, almost as long as his low-key self loathing and his taste in music, but being with Jack and getting to stare into those blue eyes every day helped Vinny decide that regardless of what the future held, no matter what happened, they would be okay. He was going to be okay.

Everything would be alright.


End file.
